Verizon CTO: We’re not convinced Noksoft is the third player in the mobile OS space

With mobile OS battles heating up, it’s also interesting to hear how carriers are reacting and what they’re saying. Going on record at Mobile World Congress, Verizon Communications CTO, Tony Malone, had some words to say about Nokia and Microsoft’s recent partnership and how the deal might impact the market. Malone thinks it’s important for the mobile industry to have more than two choices as far as mobile OSes are concerned, though he doesn’t believe Microsoft’s new smartphone platform can be necessarily be the third.¬†“If you look at our device pipeline for 2011, we have very strong relationships with LG, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, and now Apple,” Malone told CNET. “So I think it would take a really compelling device from Nokia or any new vendor to break in. It doesn’t mean that it can’t happen, but it would have to be really good.”¬†Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia, had conversations with Verizon Wireless executives last week before the Nokia / Microsoft deal was announced, presumably in hopes of getting America’s largest carrier to get on board with its upcoming devices. So far, it doesn’t sound like much progress has been made.